The Defining Decade by: Dr. Meg Jay (Part I)
Dr Jay has identified the people who are in their twenties as folks who are going through very significant times in their lives. People who are in their twenties have two basic issues that they are dealing with: career decisions and searching for permanent relationships. Many “twenty something’s” are just starting to approach adulthood and also in a delicate stage of formation of their identities as adults.
Changes in Body, Mind, & Perspective
Dr. Jay also deals with the changes that occur in twenties something’s brain and body. At this stage the twenty year olds brains are developing the ability to regulate their emotions and are more capable of developing of a long term adult view of their lives.
Being 20 and Career
When Dr. Jay talks about career development she counsels against taking a lot of low paying jobs, but rather to take jobs with an eye toward how a future career can be developed from different experiences. If you are interested in the being in the restaurant business, it might be idea to take a job as a waiter or even cleaning up the place, but to be a waiter or maintenance person at a restaurant when you may be interested in being an attorney will not serve you as well as working in the mail room of a law office.
Social Media and being 20
Dr. Jay also goes into some detail about the impact of social media such as face book and linked in on twenty year olds as well and then she makes suggestions as to how to handle this twenty first century phenomenon.
I will dedicate my next blog in this series, to Dr. Jay’s insights about being twenty and how relationships are and should be formed.
Are you twenty? I’d be very curious to hear your thoughts about Dr. Jay’s ideas.